trendpreneur

Establishing networks, both online and offline, is a great way for the budding entrepreneur to feel less isolated, enjoy working more, and stay in touch with reality.

Although I’m technically a one-man-band, every Monday morning starts with a meeting of bright young things in exactly the same boat as I am. We get the chance to discuss our situation and ideas, talk about what’s exciting and any problems we have, and cross-pollinate; there’s a lot of sharing, discussion and help available simply from the other entrepreneurs, not to mention the people running the show.

Not only does it get me up and out at the start of the week, I always come away from these meetings feeling energised and productive.

Add to that the advantages of working in a shared office space with other tech entrepreneurs and suddenly the concept “going it alone” seems less and less relevant. Wherever I turn I can take advantage of truckloads of help, advice and support – often from those who’ve been in my exact shoes before. In return, I can offer my expertise in certain areas to fellow startups.

Even when I’m working from home and isolated from the real world, there’s always the joy of online networks. Whether passively or actively taking part, there’s a diverse pool of people with brilliant ideas, vast amounts of knowledge and honest feedback just around the corner. I’m not special, or lucky; anyone can use the Internet to help their loneworking lose the “lone”. Join social networks, discover interesting weblogs, engage in comment threads and discussion forums, tell the world what you’re doing. Sooner or later, someone you know – or someone they know – will get a glimpse of what you’re up to, and utter the infamous words “We should talk…”